Chrome interview

Poland-based game developer Techland, the studio that created Crime Cities and Mission: Humanity, is working on a sci-fi shooter in which players assume the role of an intergalactic bounty hunter. In addition to standard single-player and multiplayer action elements, Chrome will feature role-playing elements such character development. To learn more about the game's storyline and features, we caught up with Techland's Krzysztof Marcinkiewicz.

GameSpot: Thanks for talking with us. First, can you describe the storyline behind Chrome?

Krzysztof Marcinkiewicz: The main character of the game, Bolt Logan, is one of the best mercenaries of the 25th century. Set up by his friend and partner and accused of crimes he never committed, Logan has no choice but to run away from his home system, where he's finished. He finds help in a young former hacker and electronic systems expert, Carrie. Carrie is the only person to offer Logan a helping hand, and with her spaceship, they run away to the newly terraformed and colonized Valkyria planetary system. They also agree to partner up to form a unique mercenary team--Logan's part will be the "dirty jobs," while Carrie will support him with her electronic/hacker skills. Performing dozens of missions, they gradually win themselves fame as one of the best teams in that corner of the Universe. Everything goes great, and it seems they're not far from gaining a real fortune--until Carrie persuades Bolt to accept a peculiar mission. Spacon Industries Corporation is looking for somebody to find out what happened to the last shipment of mining equipment sent to colonists on the planet Terbon. The entire shipment was lost without a trace, and Logan's mission is to find the precious cargo and investigate what actually happened with the carriers. This easy task gradually becomes more and more complicated, until finally a huge conspiracy is revealed, with Logan in the middle of all that mess.

GS: Does the game always require you to shoot everything that moves, or are there different ways to advance in the game?

KM: Elimination of enemies is not a primary goal in Chrome. Although the player has to complete many different missions, it is not recommended to shoot everything that moves. In some missions, a goal will be to find top-secret data, in another, to retrieve a truck, steal a shuttle, or simply run away and "lose a tail." Sometimes it will be better to remain unnoticed and act quietly, as the enemies will be too numerous or too well equipped to confront. Of course, the elimination of enemies makes up a considerable portion of Logan's job, but it is not what the whole game is all about!

GS: Can you describe the different weapons that will be available during the game?

KM: We gave the players both standard guns and the unique weaponry and equipment of the 25th-century soldier. Logan can be equipped with a knife, a 9mm pistol (standard or silenced version), a futuristic version of the Desert Eagle, two light machine guns, a shotgun, heavy machine guns, video weapons, a HEX rocket launcher, a bazooka, and an energy thrower. I believe everyone will find something interesting to use.

GS: Will the flamethrower look better that the one included in Return to Castle Wolfenstein?

KM: There are no flamethrowers in Chrome, only an energy thrower--a kind of futuristic shocker. I believe the players will find the visual effects used for this weapon are quite spectacular. Will it be better than the flamethrower from Wolfenstein? Only players can say.

GS: Players will be able to improve the abilities of the main character during the game. Can you explain how this system works and how it affects the gameplay?

KM: It's all about the implants! By matching different implants, the player will be able to transform Logan into a killing machine--a sort of Rambo. You can also make Logan a stealth assassin, sneaking through the guards and avoiding face-to-face combat. The implants let you modify such parameters as speed of movement, accuracy, endurance, reaction, stealth, and so forth. So, if you like Quake or Counter-Strike, you won't have any problems adjusting the gameplay to your needs. And if you prefer Rainbow Six or Thief, all you have to do is choose the proper implants and modify your hero.

GS: Will you include any player-controlled vehicles?

KM: Sure, you will be able to use any vehicles that you encounters on your way. All vehicles are divided into two categories: vehicles that you can drive and vehicles that you can only use for a particular purpose. The first category includes bikes, quads, off-road vehicles, trucks, and even combat warbots, or walkers. The second category includes motorboats, landers, shuttles, and spaceships, which you can get in only to advance in the game. As you can see, the selection will be quite impressive.

GS: What kind of environments can we expect to see in the game?

KM: Chrome takes place on two planets, several moons, and an orbital space station. The planets differ in climate, fauna and flora, shape of terrain, weather conditions, and other factors. The same with the moons. The main planet of the Valkyria system, Terbon, is a desert world where Logan has to travel for miles in gigantic canyons. The second planet, Herbus, is the complete opposite of Terbon--it's covered with dense forest and high mountains. The moons usually have extreme climates. IceGuard, for example, is icy cold, Antarctic-like, and always covered with snow. Loomia is a tropical moon with a never-ending jungle and numerous chains of lakes. Each planet and moon has its own distinct weather. The player will have to fight during tropical storms, heavy rainfall, or snowstorms. All these factors will have a considerable impact on the gameplay and the player's tactics.

GS: What plans do you have for multiplayer modes? Will you include a cooperative mode?

KM: Chrome includes all the most popular multiplayer modes. An additional option will be the ability to configure the gameplay. So, each host will have a chance to decide if the game should be more tactically oriented (like Counter-Strike), or if it should have Unreal Tournament-style battles. Anyway, you can choose between the following modes: deathmatch, team deathmatch, last man standing, last team standing, capture the flag, assault, frontline, single-man domination, and domination. All modes will support both LAN and Internet connections.

GS: Do you plan to release an editor or tools to modify the content of the game?

KM: Yes, many reporters ask me about that. For the time being, the response remains the same--it's up to the players who will take part in a survey on our Web site to make a final decision.

GS: Do you already have an international publisher or a planned release date for Chrome?

KM: So far we haven't signed any agreements, but we are in the middle of negotiations with many worldwide publishers. The release date for Chrome is the end of August or the beginning of September.

GS: Thanks for your time, Krzysztof.

For more information about Chrome, take a look at our previous coverage of the game.